HUNTINGTON - Marshall linebacker Maurice Kitchens vividly remembers the time in last year's West Virginia game when he was ready to send Pat White to the turf really, really hard.

But it wasn't White who suffered a painful memory from that play. It was Kitchens, who whiffed on the sack attempt.

"When he ducked my sack, that was the worst," said Kitchens, who was playing on the weak side at the time. "I did not think he had eyes in the back of his head, but you know, it worked for him. I guess he heard me breathing, trying to tackle high, so he ducked down and I missed and I'm like, wow, I'm high-fiving his helmet. That's about it."

That pretty much sums up the Thundering Herd's two-game history against White and the Mountaineers' offense. Marshall (3-1) will try to slow down WVU (1-2) when the teams meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Mountaineer Field.

White was particularly slick when the Mountaineers won 48-23 last year in Huntington. He ran for 125 yards on just 18 carries, and went 13-of-18 for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the air. His 20-yard touchdown run that put the Mountaineers up for good looked devastatingly easy.

In the 2006 game, a 42-10 WVU rout in Morgantown, White went 10-of-14 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Content to watch Steve Slaton top the 200-yard mark, White settled for 48 yards rushing on seven carries.

Slaton is gone, but many components are back, including Noel Devine. Devine scorched the Herd for two fourth-quarter TDs in the 2007 game.

"That is a very experienced offense with some very good players," said Marshall coach Mark Snyder. "It all starts with Pat White. I've said it before, but I think he's probably the best football player in America, and I'm sticking to my guns on that after two years."

Snyder refuses to buy into any belief that the Mountaineers are slumping, or that White has lost effectiveness for whatever reason. And so does East Carolina coach Skip Holtz, whose team humbled the Mountaineers 24-3 earlier this month.

The Pirates held WVU to 251 total yards, but Holtz wasn't taking credit for any miracles during the Conference USA coaches' teleconference Monday.

"Good luck," he said. "You look at Pat White, and I think Pat White has really matured as a quarterback. I've had the opportunity to see him the last four years, and I think he has gone from more of just a runner to more of a complete quarterback, as far as what he's doing in the passing game.

"With their great speed, you just have to try to eliminate the big play against your defense, and try to keep the ball in front of you."

So far, the Herd has done that more often than not in its 3-1 start. Its rushing defense has represented an about-face from last September, when a depleted front resembled a sieve. The impressive numbers here: The Herd's average yield is 3.38 yards per carry, it hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher and the longest run is 17 yards.

MU coaches expected much more from a fortified front seven, and they're getting it. That starts with the seven to nine often-fresh players rotating along the front.

"The front's a whole lot better," said Mario Harvey, now the Herd's weak-side linebacker. "They're getting blockers off of me, getting DBs time to get back in pursuit and make big plays. I can't take any credit for the D-line's work."

Pass defense remains a concern, though. The Herd gave up its third 300-yard passing game in a row, this time to Southern Mississippi's Austin Davis.

But Davis needed 49 throws to get his 308 yards. Part of that was a function of the Eagles not running at will, and falling behind by two touchdowns.

And after Marshall was burned early by a 68-yard bomb to DeAndre Brown, it adjusted nicely. The Golden Eagles' longest pass play after that was 23 yards, and their last scoring drive took 14 plays, closing the Herd lead to 34-27 but eating up precious time.

That's sort of the blueprint against White, Devine and the rest of the Mountaineers.

"We've got to make them drive the field. Don't give up any explosive plays," Snyder said. "I got to see it live Thursday night and see it again on film, and Pat can take it the distance at any minute. We've got to eliminate those and make them drive the field."

Easy to say, not so easy to do. Just ask Kitchens, now Marshall's man in the middle.

"I'll just pray I'll be stretching more for this week's game, and I don't forget. It's nasty," Kitchens said. "You have to be stretched, you have to be well-conditioned, because Pat White can run just as well as the rest of their offense. Everybody is built for speed."

Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.